After having a bad day on the course, it made me feel pretty good to find this video on YouTube. Looks like I’m not alone in making terrible golf shots. Ha ha! Watch it below to see some of the worst shots in this pro sport. I bet it will make you feel better about your bad game too!

In the early days of golf, which originated in Scotland, the sticks used to hit the leather balls were carried around, tied together with a cord.

As the game of golf matured, a bag was devised to carry the golf clubs, as the sticks used to hit the ball was then to be known, as it was much easier and helped the player to become more organized.

These first bags were made out of canvas with ends made of metal in order to give then structure and shape, and had a small opening at the top of the bag of about 4 to 6 inches.

As the game of golf became more popular, and more people began to play the game, the golf clubs became more specialized, and thus more numerous, the golf bag grew in size and in sophistication.

In 1939, the United States Golfing Association set the limit as to the number of golf clubs that could be carried by the golfer at 14. This set the stage for the size of the opening at the top of a golf bag, and thus the standard bag accommodated this number of clubs.

Golf bags in the modern era are constructed of canvas, nylon or leather components with metal or plastic framing and reinforcement. The bags of today will also have several differing pockets to hold golf balls, tees, towels and other necessary items and equipment.

A common feature for modern golf bags is the shoulder strap which makes the bag handy to carry during a golf game. Bags come in different sizes now, to reflect the amount of convenience a golfer desires during the game.

Carry bags are meant to be carried by the golfer while he or she is playing the game. They typically have single or dual straps and are generally of light weight to make it easier to carry during a golfing match.

Sunday bags are light weight are designed to carry only the clubs and pocket for the golf balls. Stand bags are designed to stand upright when they are set on the ground, making it convenient to reach the clubs and balls in the bag.

Cart bags are designed to be hitched to a walking cart or a cart that is motorized. Staff bags are usually the largest, and have accommodations for individual clubs, ball pockets, extra equipment such as umbrellas, shoes, towels and so forth.

The choice of bag style and extra room gives the golfer a wide array of features, making the carrying of clubs, balls and extras as convenient as the golfer wishes.

When the game of golf was invented sometime in the 14th century, it is believed that the earliest golf balls were made of wood, probably from the hardwoods of box trees or beech. This remained the primary mode of golf ball from the 14th to the 17th century.

Golf balls made of leather coverings, filled with hair or feathers or down, predominated from the era as well and they were called featheries or hairies. They handled better than wooden balls, yet they had their disadvantages. They were hard to make into round and spherical “balls” thus they did not fly very far or straight. They could become wet and difficult to hit very far. Nonetheless, they were the prime type of ball that was used well into the 19th century.

A Reverend Robert Adams invented a more solid ball in 1848 made of gutta-percha, which was then called the “gutty” or “guttie.”

In 1898 a man named Coburn Haskell used rubber thread wound into a ball and found that it bounced to the ceiling. He then perfected it with a liquid filled core surrounded with solid rubber and wound rubber, topped off with an outer shell of balata sap.

The dimpling of the golf ball was initiated in the early 1900’s which gave more control to the path of the flight of the ball. A patent was awarded in 1897 for this process.

Different types of outer covers were experimented with over the years to provide a hard, yet lightweight outer cover that would stand the test of time for golf balls as they were struck by the clubs. The early covers were not too hard and if the edge of an iron hit the ball in the middle, the cut on the ball would render it useless for any further play.

As time went on, stronger covers were made from different types of urethane and similar substances, hardening the surface, yet being light enough in weight to not hinder the flight of the ball.

Today, golf balls are all of the same size and weight, as determined by the standards of the USGA. When a ball is hit by the club, it experiences two forces, those of lift and drag. The dimpled ball will travel farther than golf balls that are not dimpled due to these two effects.

The modern golf ball is able to hit with backspin, sidespin and can be hit farther than any other ball in sports.